Santa Cruz want Arena Pernambuco at full capacity for promotion clash; why | OneFootball

Santa Cruz came very close to confirming promotion to the 2027 Série B. The team drew with Floresta away from home last Saturday and reached 10 points in Group B of the final-stage mini-league. The Pernambuco side had two possible results to secure promotion last Saturday, but ended up leaving the decision for Arena Pernambuco.

Initially, Santa Cruz needed to win the match to move up a division. With the draw, the team then needed Botafogo-PB to beat Maringá. The teams played at the same time and that match also ended in a draw. As a result, Santinha will have another opportunity on Saturday the 3rd.

Santa Cruz will arrive at Arena Pernambuco needing only a draw against Maringá to reach 11 points. If that happens, Floresta will no longer be able to catch Santa, since they would only reach 10 points. That would guarantee Santinha at least second place in the group.

Maringá, meanwhile, has 7 points and is the only club that can take first place from Santinha. It is worth remembering that the top two teams in each group secure promotion. Meanwhile, the first-place team in each group advances to the Série C final. Santa Cruz has not played in the second division of the Brazilian Championship since 2017.

Santa Cruz will have a full house on Saturday

First of all, Santa Cruz wants to use the full capacity of Arena Pernambuco with 45,500 fans. The club will request use of the space in the north stand, which is normally kept closed for the safety of visiting supporters. However, the expectation is that only a very small number of Maringá fans will be at the stadium.

A meeting next Tuesday will decide the matter. Santa Cruz is aiming for the stadium’s attendance record in 2026. So far, around 30,000 tickets have already been sold to Pernambuco supporters.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.